I thought I'd try to summarize the items that I think the car needs that I've discovered since buying (mostly). It helps paint the picture of test drive vs ownership.
[X] - Rear sub rattled. Never did audio test but even if I did not sure I would have turned it up that high. Already fixed with glue.
[X] - Windshield washer pump dead. Have replacement pump and grommet, just need to install. I think the OEM part was $28.
[X] - Accessory whine from something. I heard this before I bought it but hoped it was one of the pulleys. Ordered a belt kit with 3 pulleys. If that doesn't fix it that means it's the alternator or P/S pump I guess. $134 from Rockauto for all that. UPDATE: Was A/C pulley bearing
[X] - Replace serpentine belt, tensioner and idler pulleys.
[X] - Oil level sensor issue? I am still not 100% sure it is malfunctioning but it seems to report a low level when it's way over the min line. Not the way I would have designed it but I did get a sensor and the right time to replace this is on the next oil change. $35 for OEM?
[X] - Rain sensing wipers seem way overly aggressive. I just got new OEM wiper blades so I'll put those on at some point and hopefully the old ones were just smearing on the sensor making it think the windshield was wetter than it actually was.
[X] - I did add a tiny bit of coolant because I saw a low coolant warning briefly after pulling some Gs around a ramp. Doesn't look low but not sure where the proper fill level is so I added some. The system was holding pressure because it released when I opened the cap. Holding pressure means it can't have a very large leak. Changed coolant. Held a vacuum....
[X] - I noticed the tires are SUPER old. Three are 2009 and one is 2011. I knew they were old and I don't think the car would have gotten any more discounted but man that's old. Shopping for tires now. Point is I could have at least looked at the date codes and mentioned it as part of my negotiation but since she accepted it doesn't matter at this point.
[X] - The brakes do have a light pulsation but she claims they are new and they feel new. I think they were bedded improperly so I'm hoping with my usage it will go away. I may try some aggressive stops from a higher speed to clean off the rotors. I noticed this on the test drive though so not sure this should really be in the list. UPDATE: did rear pads, rotors and rebuilt calipers (seals and boots and hardware), and bled/flushed fluid.
[X] - GPS date issue. Needs the update but it won't take. I may need a telematics software update before it will take the GPS fix update. My STS had a similar requirement but it had already been updated so it wasn't an issue when I did that one. The nav works and the clock keeps the right time since I set it so this really only matters for the maintenance reminders but I'd still like it to be right. But this may require a Star computer or the dealer and the dealer will cost on the order of $156 (possibly more?) so I'd rather put that towards a Star system I can use on both cars. UPDATE: got it to work with some modification of the update file by a forum member.
[X] - The tilting sideview mirror in reverse feature WOULD NOT WORK. The power mirror worked fine in all directions. Very odd. So what I eventually tried was to put the car in reverse and manually tilt down the mirror as if to show the car "see, that's how you do that." Ever since then it has worked perfectly. Adam thinks the tilt down may have had its own memory position and needed to be set. That is actually plausible but a little weird. Either way it has functioned perfectly every time since.
I think that's it. Always things to notice after purchase and this car is no different.
Maintenance items I want to consider, keeping in mind it's not just a used car but one I plan to drive 2,500 miles with my family in Feb:
[X] - Coolant or at the very least a cooling system inspection. This has the blue stuff so I *think* Zerex G48 (as opposed to the yellow G05 I put in my E55). They should technically use the same coolant but meh.
[X] - Rear diff service
[X] - Front diff service
[X] - Oil change in 1k or so (plus the sensor from above list)
[X] - Replace cam covers and breather cover and centrifuge
[X] - Clean MAF and TB
[X] - Engine air filters
[X] - Cabin air filters
[X] - Solid inspection under the car with the panels removed. Just need to baseline what it looks like under there as far as leaks and the condition of lines, hoses, etc. Hopefully it looks good.
[X] - I think it might be a good idea to replace the trunk aux battery. It is a very large Group 49/H8 at $200. No warnings but I have noticed the dome lights will turn off very quickly and according to research that's because the aux battery voltage is too low. Car will sit for a week at Disney so don't want any scary warnings. Do note: the starting battery is in the front and apparently that's all it does so it's not like the car won't start. I just don't want any weird malfunctions on a long drive like this. Removed battery, added water to cells, charged, reinstalled. Seems good so far.
[X] - Protect underbody with CRC Corrosion Inhibitor
[X] - Top off or replace transmission fluid. I really NEED to do one of these things. If it is low for any reason, it can cook the transfer case bearings which seems to be the #1 cause of transmission failure on these 722.9 4Matic cars because the transfer case is part of the transmission case and the fluid is shared. To "check" the level I would really want to have a quart on hand, get the car up to the proper temp, remove the drain plug and see if any fluid comes out. If not, add until it does. If it does, then PERHAPS I simply screw the drain plug back in and call it good. That's assuming the filler standoff/neck thing hasn't become detached inside the pan. I say that because if the level was filled properly previously, very little fluid should come out when checking it at proper temp. Without pulling the pan I think there is no 100% way to know if that filler standoff inside was properly installed or attached. It would need to be for the fluid to be filled to the proper level of course. The more sure method is just to commit to a full trans service. I COULD just do a pan/filter and refill which would ensure proper level and change SOME fluid, but it would be better to do a full fluid change (includes torque converter, trans cooler and internal passages). I should pick this up in a separate thread as this is long as hell.
W221 S550 hunt
Re: W221 S550 hunt
Cleaned the wheels. I used Adam's and my pressure washer. They came out pretty decent. Also washed these old-ass Michelins. They were pretty brown with brake dust and dirt. They actually look decent for how old they are.
The right rear definitely has a slow leak also. My favorite thing.
Front passenger dirty wheel
Front driver's clean wheel
Oh, I found this damage on the passenger rocker. Fortunately it's plastic but man I definitely missed this until now.
The right rear definitely has a slow leak also. My favorite thing.
Front passenger dirty wheel
Oh, I found this damage on the passenger rocker. Fortunately it's plastic but man I definitely missed this until now.
Re: W221 S550 hunt
As I wind down my maintenance (and a few repair) marathon in preparation for my 2,500 mile road trip next month, I wanted to separate out the things that the car has required that were actually true repairs. The degree to which a problem was symptomatic or otherwise caused inconvenience does vary so the only thing these items really have in common is that something was not functioning properly, regardless of how I discovered that fact.
- Rear subwoofer. Rubber cement on voice coil spider. Common problem. Caused a rattle during loud music/bass. Basically free.
- Oil level sensor. Was causing false messages of check oil level. I haven't confirmed the fix but the only way to confirm is to not see the warning when I know the oil level is fine. I may not feel like I truly fixed it until late next month. $68 or so.
- Oil breather cover. I think this gasket was weeping. Common problem. I did more stuff but I think this was the only item that actually needed replacement. This was a very minor leak and not an immediate problem but I replaced it anyway. $92 (for the whole kit)
- Passenger seatbelt height adjustment w/ seat position. Attached cable to the proper hook under the seat. Free.
- Rear battery. I didn't replace it but I think I did refresh its capacity. This is another one that I'll have to see over time if I think my fix is still good. It seemed low but there weren't many obvious symptoms other than the dome lights turning off shortly after opening the door (in the dark). Free.
- Rear caliper seals/pistons. I am not counting a rear brake job, which any car might need. $35.
- Windshield washer pump was dead. Replaced pump. $30
- A/C compressor pulley bearing was whining. Replaced pulley. $36
- GPS time issue? Debatable whether this should even be on the list as it is 100% software but I did technically update the COMAND system. Free.
That comes to $261 plus my labor (and valuable learning).
So again, this is the list of stuff that was actually "broken" on the car at the time I bought it, and it took me some amount of time to discover these items - in fact only the accessory whine was immediately obvious when I bought the car. Everything else I have done I'd argue is preventative maintenance (the heater control valve wasn't actually broken so I didn't count it but it could have been a future failure), or normal maintenance.
- Rear subwoofer. Rubber cement on voice coil spider. Common problem. Caused a rattle during loud music/bass. Basically free.
- Oil level sensor. Was causing false messages of check oil level. I haven't confirmed the fix but the only way to confirm is to not see the warning when I know the oil level is fine. I may not feel like I truly fixed it until late next month. $68 or so.
- Oil breather cover. I think this gasket was weeping. Common problem. I did more stuff but I think this was the only item that actually needed replacement. This was a very minor leak and not an immediate problem but I replaced it anyway. $92 (for the whole kit)
- Passenger seatbelt height adjustment w/ seat position. Attached cable to the proper hook under the seat. Free.
- Rear battery. I didn't replace it but I think I did refresh its capacity. This is another one that I'll have to see over time if I think my fix is still good. It seemed low but there weren't many obvious symptoms other than the dome lights turning off shortly after opening the door (in the dark). Free.
- Rear caliper seals/pistons. I am not counting a rear brake job, which any car might need. $35.
- Windshield washer pump was dead. Replaced pump. $30
- A/C compressor pulley bearing was whining. Replaced pulley. $36
- GPS time issue? Debatable whether this should even be on the list as it is 100% software but I did technically update the COMAND system. Free.
That comes to $261 plus my labor (and valuable learning).
So again, this is the list of stuff that was actually "broken" on the car at the time I bought it, and it took me some amount of time to discover these items - in fact only the accessory whine was immediately obvious when I bought the car. Everything else I have done I'd argue is preventative maintenance (the heater control valve wasn't actually broken so I didn't count it but it could have been a future failure), or normal maintenance.
Re: W221 S550 hunt
I've been reading the forums and everyone claims to get like 25 mpg in these. Some seem to get even better mileage but those tend to be the later M278 which I don't trust. Anyway, even the previous owner of my E55 claimed 25 mpg from his 09 S550 so what is up with mine? Mine seemed to be stuck between 23 and 24. Granted on my trip to FL the car was pretty loaded but I guess I still expected better.
Recently it occurred to me that maybe I should increase tire pressure. The label says 32/32 but for sustained speeds over 100 mph, it says 35/35. My E55 also has two pressure recommendations but rather than speed based it is weight based. And the increased pressures are a LOT higher than just 3 psi (i.e. I think the rear is supposed to be 44 psi in the E55 with a full load). Anyway, I figured 35/35 was probably perfectly safe to run so I before we took a trip to CT yesterday I decided to air them up to 35/35 cold. The idea was to see if I could make out a statistical difference on the drive to and from CT.
On the way there I was actually tracking my way up to 25 for the first time ever but some stop and go made that sit more like 24.5. Still, that was a good sign. On the way home the traffic was good and I got a solid 25.0. Admittedly, I pretty much never went over 70 and was driving for fuel economy, trying to be conscious about using the brakes, but this still seems like a difference that can be attributed to the increased tire pressure.
Side note, check out the predicted range. Distance to empty + trip odo on current tank = 621 miles!!
Assuming the diesel uses the same tank the cruising range would be unreal in one of those. Probably over 700.
Anyway I'll just keep driving with 35/35 and see if it does seem to pick up my average MPG over time. I don't think it was a fluke because normally I probably would have averaged 23 or so on a drive like this. I am willing to add a bit just for driving style but not the full 2 mpg.
I should mention that the trip was also A/C off due to the very nice weather. I guess that factors, too.
Recently it occurred to me that maybe I should increase tire pressure. The label says 32/32 but for sustained speeds over 100 mph, it says 35/35. My E55 also has two pressure recommendations but rather than speed based it is weight based. And the increased pressures are a LOT higher than just 3 psi (i.e. I think the rear is supposed to be 44 psi in the E55 with a full load). Anyway, I figured 35/35 was probably perfectly safe to run so I before we took a trip to CT yesterday I decided to air them up to 35/35 cold. The idea was to see if I could make out a statistical difference on the drive to and from CT.
On the way there I was actually tracking my way up to 25 for the first time ever but some stop and go made that sit more like 24.5. Still, that was a good sign. On the way home the traffic was good and I got a solid 25.0. Admittedly, I pretty much never went over 70 and was driving for fuel economy, trying to be conscious about using the brakes, but this still seems like a difference that can be attributed to the increased tire pressure.
Side note, check out the predicted range. Distance to empty + trip odo on current tank = 621 miles!!
Assuming the diesel uses the same tank the cruising range would be unreal in one of those. Probably over 700.
Anyway I'll just keep driving with 35/35 and see if it does seem to pick up my average MPG over time. I don't think it was a fluke because normally I probably would have averaged 23 or so on a drive like this. I am willing to add a bit just for driving style but not the full 2 mpg.
I should mention that the trip was also A/C off due to the very nice weather. I guess that factors, too.
Re: W221 S550 hunt
Dude, you're getting a tune!
https://www.oetuning.com/products/merce ... -s550-s500
http://oetuning.com/blog/mercedes-benz- ... o-results/
Tune benefits:
- Does improve overall peak power and torque, as tunes do. Overall peak increases are about 20-25 rwhp peak gain and 25-30 rw torque gain. That should still be noticeable. And one way to look at it is I can erase the 4Matic performance penalty entirely.
- Specific and shocking gains at lower RPM. In fact the biggest gains supposedly take place at like 2,250 rpm where I guess Mercedes pulled out a bunch of power to make the drivability "smoother" or something. This will have a very large impact on daily use, rather than a tune that just gains some power at the top and not much elsewhere. These kinds of gains at 2,250 are pretty much unheard of for a naturally aspirated engine. They are claiming like 35 rwhp and 45 rw lb-ft gain at 2,250, which is crazy.
- Improved throttle response, which is typical for a tune. But there is some VERY heavy handed "turbo lag" under certain conditions from like 2-10 mph that I expect the tune to eliminate. Should improve drivability and enjoyment.
- Fuel economy improvements. Significant gains are claimed by members who have been tuned (more commonly on the E550). But I've seen people say 2-3 mpg highway is possible which is insane. Probably less for city gains but even there I expect improvements because of the significant additional torque at typical operating speeds. It is plausible that my overall average could improve by 1-2 mpg which is pretty amazing, considering the other benefits.
I did some payback math and using a variety of variable possibilities, I end up with like a 2-5 year payback, probably focusing on the 2-3 range depending on miles driven, results and the price of gas.
E550 reviews: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w212 ... -e550.html
Some choice quotes that raised my eyebrows a bit:
Circa 2014
https://www.oetuning.com/products/merce ... -s550-s500
http://oetuning.com/blog/mercedes-benz- ... o-results/
Tune benefits:
- Does improve overall peak power and torque, as tunes do. Overall peak increases are about 20-25 rwhp peak gain and 25-30 rw torque gain. That should still be noticeable. And one way to look at it is I can erase the 4Matic performance penalty entirely.
- Specific and shocking gains at lower RPM. In fact the biggest gains supposedly take place at like 2,250 rpm where I guess Mercedes pulled out a bunch of power to make the drivability "smoother" or something. This will have a very large impact on daily use, rather than a tune that just gains some power at the top and not much elsewhere. These kinds of gains at 2,250 are pretty much unheard of for a naturally aspirated engine. They are claiming like 35 rwhp and 45 rw lb-ft gain at 2,250, which is crazy.
- Improved throttle response, which is typical for a tune. But there is some VERY heavy handed "turbo lag" under certain conditions from like 2-10 mph that I expect the tune to eliminate. Should improve drivability and enjoyment.
- Fuel economy improvements. Significant gains are claimed by members who have been tuned (more commonly on the E550). But I've seen people say 2-3 mpg highway is possible which is insane. Probably less for city gains but even there I expect improvements because of the significant additional torque at typical operating speeds. It is plausible that my overall average could improve by 1-2 mpg which is pretty amazing, considering the other benefits.
I did some payback math and using a variety of variable possibilities, I end up with like a 2-5 year payback, probably focusing on the 2-3 range depending on miles driven, results and the price of gas.
E550 reviews: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w212 ... -e550.html
Some choice quotes that raised my eyebrows a bit:
Circa 2014
Throttle Response:
-WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I can't believe how much this tune transformed my car.
-Throttle response is instantaneous, no more delay when you press on the gas, the car responds immediately.
Torque:
According to the website Torque is up to about 418 ft lbs at the crank and I don't doubt it. There is SO MUCH MORE torque in the lower band, ~50 ft lbs more around 2500 rpm. Jeremy explained that the factory tuned the car to ramp up torque and power very leisurely to provide extra smoothness, so they tuned this portion out. Honestly, I think it's much smoother now than it ever was before. On the highway, in 7th gear there is much more torque so I find no need to downshift to pass a lot of the time. The throttle response helps here as well.
Power:
Even stock this engine has incredible top end, after 5k rpms it really takes off. Jeremy claims an additional 20WHP and has dyno sheets to prove it (roughly 414 at the crank). I definitely feel the difference, I used to think it was scary fast stock and now it runs like a raped ape. I felt that stock the car had a lackluster mid-range and given that it's making nearly 50 ft lbs of more torque and more power, this car now has ZERO flat spots.
Fuel Economy:
Jeremy also stated that typically an increase in 1-4 MPG has been seen. Lets face it, 1-4MPG doesn't sound all that exciting to your average Joe. However, for us, even 1 MPG is something considering we usually get 18-20 MPG average. I just got back last night from a ~550 mile round trip drive and I averaged 23.5MPG while cruising between 80-85MPH average. Last year I did the same trip during the same weekend in similar conditions and the roads had much less traffic in comparison to this weekend. I averaged 21.8 MPG last year, so I do see an improvement.
Overall:
The throttle response improvement alone is worth the $316, the rest are just bonuses if you ask me. The car feels SO MUCH MORE SPORTY than ever before. It went from being a cruiser to a bruiser. It was totally worth it and I suggest it to everyone who owns an E550.
I had Jeremy tune my 2008 CLS550 when I first got the car and my results were spot on with your post. It's surprising how much power MB left on the table and how much the tune transformed the car. The launch in 1st gear was wicked strong once he relaxed the torque limiters on the ecu.
I put over 30k very very hard miles on the car and had zero engine problems. No issues, no cel lights, no malfunctions. The car went to two dealers for random unrelated warranty work and nobody cared about the tune. The only note was oil consumption but that was directly related to the constant redline abuse.
My best mpg was 27.1 on the freeway at an average of 70mph, about 1.5mpg higher than with the stock tune.
Tested the 1st gear launch last week and what a freaking difference once the torque limiters were removed.
With traction control off the car peels out sideways for a good few hundred feet. LOL!
What a transformation.
Yea I've been running my tune on a N/A 550 for a little over a week now. OMG, it's a different animal all together. Just a slight touch of the pedal now and this thing roars to life almost instantly. It takes a little bit to get used to the throttle response. Putting it in comfort mode now is like the pre-tuned sport mode. 1st gear launch from the pedals is nuts, this car is totally out of control without the traction control. If I could get traction and I have about 2 inches more tire than the stock sport units this thing would have a 0-60 in the mid to upper 4's. It's just plain stupid now!!
what it does do, and pleasingly well, I might add, is fatten up the torque in a brilliantly smooth, seamless fashion.
When I first did this I half expected tire shredding hard shifts and squeals from my (fourmatic!) E550. Nadda. Nothing... What I got instead was an improvement all over I didn't expect. Is it faster...? yes. Is it noticeable having driven a few hundred miles? No,,,not so much, it is addictive...yet it is almost imperceptible in a GOOD way. The car essentially acts as it always did, but is much more "alert"...its ready to go far quicker than before...almost like it is perceiving your input on the pedal. The car is soooooo much smoother. good lord, I can't even begin to expand on that...it is just so much more effortless to get up and go, regardless of your input procedure...hit it, its there. Roll it in gently...its there.
I am a bit of a ***** when it comes to these mods and cannot even admit to having done done of this "high tech" fashion. I am always worried that such a big company like MB must have brilliant reasons as to why they keep the car subdued....well, I gotta tell yah, MB screwed up. There is NOTHING but improvements EVERYWHERE.
Oh, tire shredding? not likely....great pull, nothing more (cough*fourmatic*cough).
Driveline abuse? not even noticeable under the hardest launch, tc on, or off.
Fuel mileage decrease? Nope. I get the exact same in the city (pounding the hell out of the poor old girl), and AN INCREASE of 2-3mpg sitting on the highway at 80mph.
You do get used to the tune, but I still like it. I remember frequently being annoyed at the sleepy tuning and shift points on the Merc prior to the tune. No more complaints after the tune. I'm still enjoying the extra kick. Honestly, the tuned ecu should replace the stock ecu.
After the tune was installed I drove it around the area for 15 minutes and I literally felt the car come alive. The most noticeable difference is the throttle response, which on my C350 and E550 were uber sluggish from factory. The car also pulls much harder (IMO, most felt in the lower rpm ranges). Unlike the 4matic, with a RWD, my traction light does seem to come on a little more frequently... maybe b/c I like to mash on the gas after a turn or launching from a light, occasionally.
Overall, I think I made a good decision getting the tune. It's been about 7 weeks and no problems. I definitely have no experienced a loss in fuel economy and am actually averaging 19.9 (up from 19.3!). This is just a simple (and cost effective) way to wake up your engine and make the power the e550 has more usable and available.
The car has really woken up, and noticeable power has been increased across the band. Take offs at traffic lights are quicker, mid-range power while driving on streets/hwy has increased and the car is faster and more responsive than before.
Very satisfied, and noticed an improvement in MPG, even with my lead foot testing out the tune across the RPM band. Will post more once I log on a few more miles on this.
I have a 2010 E550 coupe w/dynamic handling package; it has two driving modes (aside from manual mode): comfort and sport.
My preferred mode is "comfort". I like the ride - but the throttle lag and engine responsiveness was terrible. Especially from a near 400hp V8. As a result, I spent most of my time driving the car in "sport"; which wasn't my preference. I felt the suspension was too harsh, and the transmission was hanging too much onto gears.
Happy to report the OE Tune has corrected this. I was not looking for more power or removal of the top speed limiter (both are added bonuses though). Rather I wanted improved drivability, especially in comfort mode. The car now gets out of it's own way. Engine performance in comfort feels like 80% of what sport mode is. More than enough for regular driving.
In sport, it's even faster. A fun (occasional) mode, but not my main goal for tuning.
- Attachments
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- S550 tune payback.xlsx
- (10.17 KiB) Downloaded 23 times
Re: W221 S550 hunt
The process was cumbersome due to the MyGenius handheld device that is used to do the actual flashing. Other flashing options include driving to an OE Tuned participating shop (nearest is Branford, CT I believe), OR I guess mail my ECU to them in CA.
They had a 25% off sale so I elected to do the MyGenius route since they make you actually buy it and the normal price of the unit alone is $300.
The process goes essentially like this:
- Download MyGenius software program on PC
- Kick off install process which is super ridiculous. It downloads .NET 3.5 and other junk (shockingly, not Java). Part of this process also installs the USB driver that will communicate with the MyGenius. Again, SO many steps and it actually downloads stuff during the process. I think I even saw one error but it completed and that did not appear to cause any further issues.
- Plug MyGenius into computer and kick off an online update of the unit. This takes some time, as well. Half of this goes in Italian.
- Go out to car, plug OBD cable in. A series of menu options basically download some 7Kb file from the ECU, which seems to be some kind of ECU/calibration ID process. I don't know if this is stuff like the VIN and other identifying into for OE Tuned. It is NOT reading the whole calibration but perhaps contains enough information for OE Tuned to know what my OE calibration actually is.
- Go back inside, plug back into PC. Use clunky software to pull this 7Kb file from the MyGenius. E-mail it to OE Tuned and specify the type of fuel I run (93) and mods (none).
- Inside of an hour, they e-mail back three tune files which total ~7MB.
- Use the clunky software to load these three files onto the MyGenius. This didn't work at first and I figured out it's because Win 10 marked the files both read only and "blocked" them. I unchecked read only and checked "unblock" for each file and it worked after that.
- Go out to car and flash it. But that is also a little bit of a circus because it is HIGHLY recommended (basically required) to have an external power source on the car during this process because it can take a while and runs the cooling fan on high speed for portions of it. I know my rear battery was not up to this task. So I used the Ram and jumped my S550 from it (Ram was running) during the process. I had to figure out how to do this as part of this job. The main battery is in the rear so I was able to locate two posts (one for each battery) up front.
- The process is also a bit odd and clunky, requiring you to shut off and turn back on the ignition several times for some reason. You also have your choice of three individual tune options. 93 octane, 100 octane race gas and a "valet" tune which seems, uhh, not applicable to my stock S550. I selected 93.
- Apparently I retain the ability to put the car back to stock or also update the tune if mods dictate (won't happen on this car).
Anyway, it all worked perfectly.
This stud goes to the rear battery and was sitting at 12.1xx volts. The stud right next to it goes to the starter battery which was sitting at 12.7xx. You could physically cross strap these posts to connect the front and rear batteries together in extremis (the car also has the ability to do this). I'm glad I located this because this is where you would actually jump start the car. The starting battery ground is just the most convenient ground, but this post goes to the rear/main battery. This would also be a good place to wire in a Battery Tender harness for the rear battery.
Drove it a little last night and also on an extended commute this morning. Initial report:
- As promised C mode is much less laggy and more enjoyable overall. This is NOT a transmission tune but since the ECU and TCU are so closely linked together, there are things you can change in the ECU that will seem to influence transmission behavior.
- I can feel a significant increase in mid-range torque. I was impressed with the flexibility of this engine before but it's even more impressive now. The amount of acceleration you can summon shifting at or below 3,000 rpm in a heavy car like this is really quite surprising. It feels even more effortless.
- The mid-range seems more enhanced than the top end but I already expected this from the dyno results on their website. I would say part throttle drivability/torque is the biggest difference but I can detect an overall performance improvement, as well.
- Can't conclude anything about gas mileage yet but I can say it has not gotten worse. I may already be seeing signs of improvement but I need way more data before I can claim anything.
- Refinement is quite good still. NVH seems the same though there may be a little more engine growl under similar conditions compared to before. Hard to know if that's just because it is opening the throttle more at the same throttle position or because of engine parameter differences. Or both. Basically this could pass as a stock tune and does not feel aftermarket in any way. I wish I knew what was actually changed. I know a lot is increasing "torque requests" meaning the engine was capable of providing more torque but MB intentionally reduced it for whatever reason. I don't know how much spark advance is adjusted, or valve timing, or fueling, or anything else like that.
Two thumbs up so far.
They had a 25% off sale so I elected to do the MyGenius route since they make you actually buy it and the normal price of the unit alone is $300.
The process goes essentially like this:
- Download MyGenius software program on PC
- Kick off install process which is super ridiculous. It downloads .NET 3.5 and other junk (shockingly, not Java). Part of this process also installs the USB driver that will communicate with the MyGenius. Again, SO many steps and it actually downloads stuff during the process. I think I even saw one error but it completed and that did not appear to cause any further issues.
- Plug MyGenius into computer and kick off an online update of the unit. This takes some time, as well. Half of this goes in Italian.
- Go out to car, plug OBD cable in. A series of menu options basically download some 7Kb file from the ECU, which seems to be some kind of ECU/calibration ID process. I don't know if this is stuff like the VIN and other identifying into for OE Tuned. It is NOT reading the whole calibration but perhaps contains enough information for OE Tuned to know what my OE calibration actually is.
- Go back inside, plug back into PC. Use clunky software to pull this 7Kb file from the MyGenius. E-mail it to OE Tuned and specify the type of fuel I run (93) and mods (none).
- Inside of an hour, they e-mail back three tune files which total ~7MB.
- Use the clunky software to load these three files onto the MyGenius. This didn't work at first and I figured out it's because Win 10 marked the files both read only and "blocked" them. I unchecked read only and checked "unblock" for each file and it worked after that.
- Go out to car and flash it. But that is also a little bit of a circus because it is HIGHLY recommended (basically required) to have an external power source on the car during this process because it can take a while and runs the cooling fan on high speed for portions of it. I know my rear battery was not up to this task. So I used the Ram and jumped my S550 from it (Ram was running) during the process. I had to figure out how to do this as part of this job. The main battery is in the rear so I was able to locate two posts (one for each battery) up front.
- The process is also a bit odd and clunky, requiring you to shut off and turn back on the ignition several times for some reason. You also have your choice of three individual tune options. 93 octane, 100 octane race gas and a "valet" tune which seems, uhh, not applicable to my stock S550. I selected 93.
- Apparently I retain the ability to put the car back to stock or also update the tune if mods dictate (won't happen on this car).
Anyway, it all worked perfectly.
This stud goes to the rear battery and was sitting at 12.1xx volts. The stud right next to it goes to the starter battery which was sitting at 12.7xx. You could physically cross strap these posts to connect the front and rear batteries together in extremis (the car also has the ability to do this). I'm glad I located this because this is where you would actually jump start the car. The starting battery ground is just the most convenient ground, but this post goes to the rear/main battery. This would also be a good place to wire in a Battery Tender harness for the rear battery.
Drove it a little last night and also on an extended commute this morning. Initial report:
- As promised C mode is much less laggy and more enjoyable overall. This is NOT a transmission tune but since the ECU and TCU are so closely linked together, there are things you can change in the ECU that will seem to influence transmission behavior.
- I can feel a significant increase in mid-range torque. I was impressed with the flexibility of this engine before but it's even more impressive now. The amount of acceleration you can summon shifting at or below 3,000 rpm in a heavy car like this is really quite surprising. It feels even more effortless.
- The mid-range seems more enhanced than the top end but I already expected this from the dyno results on their website. I would say part throttle drivability/torque is the biggest difference but I can detect an overall performance improvement, as well.
- Can't conclude anything about gas mileage yet but I can say it has not gotten worse. I may already be seeing signs of improvement but I need way more data before I can claim anything.
- Refinement is quite good still. NVH seems the same though there may be a little more engine growl under similar conditions compared to before. Hard to know if that's just because it is opening the throttle more at the same throttle position or because of engine parameter differences. Or both. Basically this could pass as a stock tune and does not feel aftermarket in any way. I wish I knew what was actually changed. I know a lot is increasing "torque requests" meaning the engine was capable of providing more torque but MB intentionally reduced it for whatever reason. I don't know how much spark advance is adjusted, or valve timing, or fueling, or anything else like that.
Two thumbs up so far.
Re: W221 S550 hunt
Still going well. Gas mileage is still at least as good as before, possibly better. Need to do more controlled testing and, as before, my favorite type of test is a best case highway run. If I can squeeze anything higher than 25 out of it during a sedate 70 mph drive, then I'll know it improved. I guess city mileage could theoretically be improved but it is very hard to test city mpg due to all the variables. City mpg needs to be run over time rather than individual trips. Speaking of over time...
Right now my total ownership fuel economy is 19.9 over 7,5xx miles, with a best tank of 23.3 mpg (the 25 was not over a full tank). But 2,700 of those miles were the drive to FL with a bunch of tanks of 23 mpg. So I would want to remove that to get an overall average. It's probably on the order of 19 still. EDIT: It's around 18.5 without the FL trip so I was close.
My STS averaged 16.6 over 33,000 miles, with a best tank of 20.2 mpg (with no drives to FL). That makes this car right at 20% better fuel economy, or a solid 3 mpg better. That is substantial. And impressive. It's a bigger, heavier car, still AWD with V8, but bigger engine, more power and faster. It's only 2 model years newer and really the engines use similar technology. Port injection, DOHC, variable valve timing, runs on premium fuel.
Right now my total ownership fuel economy is 19.9 over 7,5xx miles, with a best tank of 23.3 mpg (the 25 was not over a full tank). But 2,700 of those miles were the drive to FL with a bunch of tanks of 23 mpg. So I would want to remove that to get an overall average. It's probably on the order of 19 still. EDIT: It's around 18.5 without the FL trip so I was close.
My STS averaged 16.6 over 33,000 miles, with a best tank of 20.2 mpg (with no drives to FL). That makes this car right at 20% better fuel economy, or a solid 3 mpg better. That is substantial. And impressive. It's a bigger, heavier car, still AWD with V8, but bigger engine, more power and faster. It's only 2 model years newer and really the engines use similar technology. Port injection, DOHC, variable valve timing, runs on premium fuel.
Re: W221 S550 hunt
I'll try to dig up some complaints:
- Throttle response in S mode can be too jumpy in certain situations. I would still prefer a more linear response. rather than something intentionally designed to be "sport tuned."
- Throttle response in C mode hasn't been totally cured. There are still situations where it can lag from low speed but it is still certainly improved so not sure if this counts as a complaint.
- That launch snap actually seems diminished. When it was stock, if you planted your foot it would respond instantly and leave the line quickly and cleanly. With the tune, it actually seems to hesitate a bit when you do that. I am OK with this because in normal situations it is improved.
One general question that maybe I will be able to answer after a full 4 season's worth of use with the tune:
- This is conjecture but I have suspected that German engine tunes tend to err on the side of providing consistent performance over a wide range of environmental conditions. I.e. in order for the car not to feel heat soaked in hot conditions, they may limit power during cold conditions just so there is very little difference and engine power is consistent. Is it possible that the tune eats into this margin (if it even exists)? I guess this isn't a bad thing because it would mean that it is giving me the most performance it can for a given condition. If that means more in cold conditions and less in hot, then that's what it means. I guess I won't know until I have a chance to really compare cold vs hot and see if there is a major difference. Before I want to say the difference was pretty small. That said, with my E55, there is a HUGE difference and that's due to the supercharger and intake air temps.
- Throttle response in S mode can be too jumpy in certain situations. I would still prefer a more linear response. rather than something intentionally designed to be "sport tuned."
- Throttle response in C mode hasn't been totally cured. There are still situations where it can lag from low speed but it is still certainly improved so not sure if this counts as a complaint.
- That launch snap actually seems diminished. When it was stock, if you planted your foot it would respond instantly and leave the line quickly and cleanly. With the tune, it actually seems to hesitate a bit when you do that. I am OK with this because in normal situations it is improved.
One general question that maybe I will be able to answer after a full 4 season's worth of use with the tune:
- This is conjecture but I have suspected that German engine tunes tend to err on the side of providing consistent performance over a wide range of environmental conditions. I.e. in order for the car not to feel heat soaked in hot conditions, they may limit power during cold conditions just so there is very little difference and engine power is consistent. Is it possible that the tune eats into this margin (if it even exists)? I guess this isn't a bad thing because it would mean that it is giving me the most performance it can for a given condition. If that means more in cold conditions and less in hot, then that's what it means. I guess I won't know until I have a chance to really compare cold vs hot and see if there is a major difference. Before I want to say the difference was pretty small. That said, with my E55, there is a HUGE difference and that's due to the supercharger and intake air temps.
Re: W221 S550 hunt
I have a new combination of vehicles to provide a mini-review on: SRX vs S550. This is kind of a tradition in my fleet when I drive one vehicle regularly, and then drive another one regularly. It provides some unique and new opportunities to compare/contrast the vehicles. I am familiar with the S550 but not in the context of being familiar with the SRX. We've had the SRX since 2015 but I never daily drove it, and I also stopped driving it for even weekend things around the time I got my STS in 2017. So I am being reintroduced. Plus, it's years and miles later which makes the comparison relevant anyway.
General:
The SRX is comfortable. The cockpit doesn't have the spread-out room that the S550 does but the upright, SUV-like driving position is comfortable. But here's a newsflash: I cannot believe I have to touch the key and the remote on the SRX. It's a huge annoyance after having a succession of cars with keyless (starting with the STS in 2017). It just feels incredibly antiquated and inconvenient. Fortunately the likelihood of buying a car without this decreases each year.
The SRX has a lot more road noise.
Driving:
The vehicles feel very different. I'd even go so far as to say the SRX doesn't feel like a luxury car compared to the S550. Which is pretty funny, because I think the SRX must feel taller and more numb than a lot of other vehicles. But compared to the S550, it feels, I guess, more nimble but also less refined. The SRX has immediate throttle response like a normal car which is always good. The power difference feels significant. Tip in and in normal situations the SRX actually feels plenty powerful. But when you wind it out it just never really pulls that hard. The S550 makes more power and more torque, and you can tell for sure. The S550 also gets better fuel economy.
I also find I tend to throw the SRX around more even though it's on original high mileage FE1 suspension, and the tires are a performance level lower than they really should be. The brakes are inferior on the SRX. The steering might be better?? The S550 makes you work harder to throw it around. It's a combination of several factors, namely steering ratio and wheelbase. But, the way the suspensions go about their job is so different. The Airmatic and DC shocks on the S550 are just night and day over the SRX in terms of overall refinement and performance. The SRX bounces but also kind of rides like a truck. In a corner the SRX does have some of that Sigma athleticism that I like (FE3/MR, 18s and better tires would honestly be a lot better) but its day to day approach to ride/handling is kind of....well, unrefined. The S550 may not beckon you to throw it around but when you do, it feels so much more polished and buttoned down. The ride is way creamier, yet it never bounces or lunges around. The operative word is stable. At 130 the S550 feels like it is literally on rails. Pretty much anything you do it always feels stable and in control. The SRX, though, seems to let you have a little more fun I guess.
Basically the chassis of the S550 is just operating at a higher level. You almost don't appreciate what it is pulling off until you drive something more normal in similar conditions.
The rev match capability of the 6L50 in the SRX seems superior to the 722.9 in the S550. The SRX also properly and seamlessly downshifts to 1st and never causes any annoying throttle lag. In fact, it lets you clunk the driveline lash if you want to. I don't care about rev matching much but I don't like how the SRX lugs the engine up hills (at like 1400 rpm, sometimes even less) then unlocks the torque converter which stalls to like 2500. The S550 does a much better job progressively downshifting while keeping the TCC locked to add just enough extra torque while not just blowing fuel economy out of the water. In the SRX, I discovered that tow/haul mode is perfect for scenarios like this. When I am going up a hill (high or low speed, doesn't matter), I select tow/haul mode and it tends to keep it in just the right gear locked up. It's annoying I have to push a button but at least I can do that. The other alternative would be to select sport mode and manually downshift but then I have to put it back into auto so it's arguably more inconvenient than pushing a button. The S550 transmission generally responds better to hills and is smarter in those situations. For performance driving, the S550 sort of automatically goes into it and it isn't always what you want, when you want it. The SRX tends to require the selection of sport mode, and then it does a pretty good job of holding gears and stuff. In daily situations, the S550 gets the nod for general programming with the exception of the extremely aggressive anti-lash programming of the S550 (it's even worse than the STS was and I complained about that at the time), and the fact that it refuses to downshift to 1st gear when coasting until you are stopped. This continues to annoy me. This was a programming update made early on the W221 generation due to customer complaints about harsh coast down 2-1s. Of course. I'd rather have the bumpy shift...
Audio:
I have made peace with the BOSE in the SRX actually. I set it to surround mode and that seems to work better for most music. There is a mid-bass bump that causes muddiness on many songs that prevents me from turning the bass adjustment up very much. Then at the low end a lot of stuff is just missing. It is BETTER than I remember it, but if I happen to hear the same song in both cars, it's always shocking how much more bottom end the S550 has. I would say the S550 is actually missing some mid-bass response which is similarly noticeable to the SRX's lack of lower end response, since the change in relative volume is very noticeable on certain songs. So, neither of them sound as good to my ears (overall) as the STS did. I actually wonder if I will ever have a car that surpasses the STS in overall audio quality. The S550 already outdoes it for sheer thump but that's just one aspect. Here's a pro tip: if you have an audio system where some music sounds better than other music, and another audio system seems to make everything sound good (in a way that makes you think this must be what they heard in the mixing room), the latter system is the better one. That was the STS. But the good news is both cars are adequate. I do wonder what the S550 is capable of if I added a discrete amp for the sub. I am told that unlocks significant power, particularly at the lower end where the factory EQ tends to roll off (either because the factory amp can't handle it or because the interior rattles can't handle it, or some of both). I could also EQ the amp to flatten the response of the sub and address all of my complaints. Though, if I want to boost mid-bass, that should probably come from the door woofers. This is pretty low on my list so I doubt I'll ever do it. It would be cool if I could just EQ the line level side before it goes into the system but with the iPod adapter I have no clue how I'd really do that properly.
Overall, the SRX does NOT feel like a penalty box, or like how Bill must feel when he drives the RAV4. So I have that going for me. It's a perfectly acceptable commuter AND road trip vehicle and that's not a bad place to be.
General:
The SRX is comfortable. The cockpit doesn't have the spread-out room that the S550 does but the upright, SUV-like driving position is comfortable. But here's a newsflash: I cannot believe I have to touch the key and the remote on the SRX. It's a huge annoyance after having a succession of cars with keyless (starting with the STS in 2017). It just feels incredibly antiquated and inconvenient. Fortunately the likelihood of buying a car without this decreases each year.
The SRX has a lot more road noise.
Driving:
The vehicles feel very different. I'd even go so far as to say the SRX doesn't feel like a luxury car compared to the S550. Which is pretty funny, because I think the SRX must feel taller and more numb than a lot of other vehicles. But compared to the S550, it feels, I guess, more nimble but also less refined. The SRX has immediate throttle response like a normal car which is always good. The power difference feels significant. Tip in and in normal situations the SRX actually feels plenty powerful. But when you wind it out it just never really pulls that hard. The S550 makes more power and more torque, and you can tell for sure. The S550 also gets better fuel economy.
I also find I tend to throw the SRX around more even though it's on original high mileage FE1 suspension, and the tires are a performance level lower than they really should be. The brakes are inferior on the SRX. The steering might be better?? The S550 makes you work harder to throw it around. It's a combination of several factors, namely steering ratio and wheelbase. But, the way the suspensions go about their job is so different. The Airmatic and DC shocks on the S550 are just night and day over the SRX in terms of overall refinement and performance. The SRX bounces but also kind of rides like a truck. In a corner the SRX does have some of that Sigma athleticism that I like (FE3/MR, 18s and better tires would honestly be a lot better) but its day to day approach to ride/handling is kind of....well, unrefined. The S550 may not beckon you to throw it around but when you do, it feels so much more polished and buttoned down. The ride is way creamier, yet it never bounces or lunges around. The operative word is stable. At 130 the S550 feels like it is literally on rails. Pretty much anything you do it always feels stable and in control. The SRX, though, seems to let you have a little more fun I guess.
Basically the chassis of the S550 is just operating at a higher level. You almost don't appreciate what it is pulling off until you drive something more normal in similar conditions.
The rev match capability of the 6L50 in the SRX seems superior to the 722.9 in the S550. The SRX also properly and seamlessly downshifts to 1st and never causes any annoying throttle lag. In fact, it lets you clunk the driveline lash if you want to. I don't care about rev matching much but I don't like how the SRX lugs the engine up hills (at like 1400 rpm, sometimes even less) then unlocks the torque converter which stalls to like 2500. The S550 does a much better job progressively downshifting while keeping the TCC locked to add just enough extra torque while not just blowing fuel economy out of the water. In the SRX, I discovered that tow/haul mode is perfect for scenarios like this. When I am going up a hill (high or low speed, doesn't matter), I select tow/haul mode and it tends to keep it in just the right gear locked up. It's annoying I have to push a button but at least I can do that. The other alternative would be to select sport mode and manually downshift but then I have to put it back into auto so it's arguably more inconvenient than pushing a button. The S550 transmission generally responds better to hills and is smarter in those situations. For performance driving, the S550 sort of automatically goes into it and it isn't always what you want, when you want it. The SRX tends to require the selection of sport mode, and then it does a pretty good job of holding gears and stuff. In daily situations, the S550 gets the nod for general programming with the exception of the extremely aggressive anti-lash programming of the S550 (it's even worse than the STS was and I complained about that at the time), and the fact that it refuses to downshift to 1st gear when coasting until you are stopped. This continues to annoy me. This was a programming update made early on the W221 generation due to customer complaints about harsh coast down 2-1s. Of course. I'd rather have the bumpy shift...
Audio:
I have made peace with the BOSE in the SRX actually. I set it to surround mode and that seems to work better for most music. There is a mid-bass bump that causes muddiness on many songs that prevents me from turning the bass adjustment up very much. Then at the low end a lot of stuff is just missing. It is BETTER than I remember it, but if I happen to hear the same song in both cars, it's always shocking how much more bottom end the S550 has. I would say the S550 is actually missing some mid-bass response which is similarly noticeable to the SRX's lack of lower end response, since the change in relative volume is very noticeable on certain songs. So, neither of them sound as good to my ears (overall) as the STS did. I actually wonder if I will ever have a car that surpasses the STS in overall audio quality. The S550 already outdoes it for sheer thump but that's just one aspect. Here's a pro tip: if you have an audio system where some music sounds better than other music, and another audio system seems to make everything sound good (in a way that makes you think this must be what they heard in the mixing room), the latter system is the better one. That was the STS. But the good news is both cars are adequate. I do wonder what the S550 is capable of if I added a discrete amp for the sub. I am told that unlocks significant power, particularly at the lower end where the factory EQ tends to roll off (either because the factory amp can't handle it or because the interior rattles can't handle it, or some of both). I could also EQ the amp to flatten the response of the sub and address all of my complaints. Though, if I want to boost mid-bass, that should probably come from the door woofers. This is pretty low on my list so I doubt I'll ever do it. It would be cool if I could just EQ the line level side before it goes into the system but with the iPod adapter I have no clue how I'd really do that properly.
Overall, the SRX does NOT feel like a penalty box, or like how Bill must feel when he drives the RAV4. So I have that going for me. It's a perfectly acceptable commuter AND road trip vehicle and that's not a bad place to be.
Re: W221 S550 hunt
I haven't updated this thread in a while. Just got home from a weeklong trip to Hershey, PA. Total mileage somewhere in the 750 mile range. I left with over 4,000 miles on the oil and the interval I use is 5,000 miles so basically this was the least inspected the car could be to do this road trip, since the last time I was under it was over 4,000 miles ago. My "prep" for the trip amounted to:
- Set tire pressure to around 35 on all 4
- I threw the E55's old air compressor in the trunk since it is quite compact
- Deoxit (I have still not inspected my cam position sensors and magnet plugs for oil wicking so if I had a problem I figured I could douche stuff and probably get by if oil happened to wick a little too far on this particular drive - no symptoms or anything)
- A right angle pick, good for connector stuff
That's it. No other tools, no other preps, inspections, maintenance. In fact, I literally didn't even open the hood and check ANY fluid levels.
Door to door on the way down last Monday, the car peaked at an indicated 26.2 or 26.1 which I think is a record. That was fully loaded with the A/C running, too, so I'm betting a few extra psi of tire pressure made the difference. It's impressive because there are elevation changes throughout the drive. I should note that speeds were more moderate at probably 70-73 a lot of the time. The computer said the trip average was 62 mph (there were moments of traffic). The car has such a range that we not only drove there on 1 tank, but drove all over the place from Monday to Thursday. I got gas Thursday night and the tank was still like 23.1. I am quite pleased with this.
The way home, however, sucked. Way more traffic and I drove at higher speeds, too. Still, we got 23.1 or something like that. So it looks like two identical tanks but really the trip down was substantially more fuel efficient and would have been a new record had I filled it up Monday evening.
As for the car itself, 100%. This car is fantastic. Just like the longer FL trip, no issues, warnings, funny business or anything of the sort. About 95k on it now. I was thinking during the drive that this car has really been my best non-performance car. Obviously performance cars are a different category, but as far as the intended mission of this car, I really am impressed. It's not just how it performs on road trips (which is outstanding) but also the fact that it's been relatively easy to maintain. When you factor in the $12k purchase price, that really seals the deal overall on ownership satisfaction. Now I bought my STS with 125k (for only $5k) and I am only at 95k so I suppose in fairness the jury is out on how this behaves. But when I look at the overall picture (a now-16 year old S class that I road tripped with like zero fanfare or inspections) I think it is OK to be impressed.
Actually, funny story. At the hotel, one evening after dinner I tried to lock the car from the trunk button. No joy. Went to a side door. No joy. It refused to lock. I didn't try the fob but I assume it would have been the same. So now I'm thinking, great, my fob is dead?? And I just replaced the battery. Opened the door, pressed the ignition button and accessory came right on. Ok, so the fob is fine. What gives?? Did a walk around because now I was suspecting something else and sure enough the front passenger door was not fully latched. Somehow Jamie closed it with the precise amount of force to latch the first position, but not quite hard enough to trigger the soft closer. I opened it and closed it fully. Now the doors locked just fine. So, user error. I did slightly panic though but can't really blame the car here. 99% of cars on the road don't even have a soft close feature.
- Set tire pressure to around 35 on all 4
- I threw the E55's old air compressor in the trunk since it is quite compact
- Deoxit (I have still not inspected my cam position sensors and magnet plugs for oil wicking so if I had a problem I figured I could douche stuff and probably get by if oil happened to wick a little too far on this particular drive - no symptoms or anything)
- A right angle pick, good for connector stuff
That's it. No other tools, no other preps, inspections, maintenance. In fact, I literally didn't even open the hood and check ANY fluid levels.
Door to door on the way down last Monday, the car peaked at an indicated 26.2 or 26.1 which I think is a record. That was fully loaded with the A/C running, too, so I'm betting a few extra psi of tire pressure made the difference. It's impressive because there are elevation changes throughout the drive. I should note that speeds were more moderate at probably 70-73 a lot of the time. The computer said the trip average was 62 mph (there were moments of traffic). The car has such a range that we not only drove there on 1 tank, but drove all over the place from Monday to Thursday. I got gas Thursday night and the tank was still like 23.1. I am quite pleased with this.
The way home, however, sucked. Way more traffic and I drove at higher speeds, too. Still, we got 23.1 or something like that. So it looks like two identical tanks but really the trip down was substantially more fuel efficient and would have been a new record had I filled it up Monday evening.
As for the car itself, 100%. This car is fantastic. Just like the longer FL trip, no issues, warnings, funny business or anything of the sort. About 95k on it now. I was thinking during the drive that this car has really been my best non-performance car. Obviously performance cars are a different category, but as far as the intended mission of this car, I really am impressed. It's not just how it performs on road trips (which is outstanding) but also the fact that it's been relatively easy to maintain. When you factor in the $12k purchase price, that really seals the deal overall on ownership satisfaction. Now I bought my STS with 125k (for only $5k) and I am only at 95k so I suppose in fairness the jury is out on how this behaves. But when I look at the overall picture (a now-16 year old S class that I road tripped with like zero fanfare or inspections) I think it is OK to be impressed.
Actually, funny story. At the hotel, one evening after dinner I tried to lock the car from the trunk button. No joy. Went to a side door. No joy. It refused to lock. I didn't try the fob but I assume it would have been the same. So now I'm thinking, great, my fob is dead?? And I just replaced the battery. Opened the door, pressed the ignition button and accessory came right on. Ok, so the fob is fine. What gives?? Did a walk around because now I was suspecting something else and sure enough the front passenger door was not fully latched. Somehow Jamie closed it with the precise amount of force to latch the first position, but not quite hard enough to trigger the soft closer. I opened it and closed it fully. Now the doors locked just fine. So, user error. I did slightly panic though but can't really blame the car here. 99% of cars on the road don't even have a soft close feature.